Beta Draconis (β Dra / β Draconis) is the third brightest star in the constellation Draco. It also has the traditional name Rastaban, which confusingly is sometimes also used for Gamma Draconis. Orion is a remarkable constellation, visible from most places on the globe (but not always the whole year long). ... Draco (Latin for Dragon) is a far northern constellation that is circumpolar for many northern hemisphere observers. ... Gamma Draconis (γ Dra / γ Draconis) is a star in the constellation Draco. ...

It is a yellow giant or supergiant of spectral class G4 with an apparent magnitude of 2.79. Its distance from the Sun is somewhere between 310 and 490 light years. In astronomy, stellar classification is a classification of stars based initially on photospheric temperature and its associated spectral characteristics, and subsequenly refined in terms of other characteristics. ... The apparent magnitude (m) of a star, planet or other heavenly body is a measure of its apparent brightness; that is, the amount of light received from the object. ... By ancient tradition, the Sun is the light in the heavens whose presence is day and whose absence is night. ... A light year, abbreviated ly, is the distance light travels in one year: roughly 9. ...

It is a binary star, designated ADS 10611 as such, orbited by a dwarf companion once every four millennia or so. A binary star system consists of two stars both orbiting around their barycenter. ... In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. ... Hertzsprung-Russell diagram The main sequence of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is the curve where the majority of stars are located in this diagram. ... These pages contain the trends of millennia and centuries. ...

The traditional name, from the Arabic phrase ra's ath-thu'ban ("head of the serpent") is less commonly written Rastaben, and has also been used for the star Gamma Draconis. Rastaban is also known as Asuia and Alwaid, the latter meaning "who is to be destroyed," though some trace it to Arabic al'awwad ("the lute player"). It is part of the asterism of the Mother Camels (Arabic al'awa'id), which may have influenced this alternate name. Arabic (العربية al-arabiyyah, or less formally arabi) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Gamma Draconis (γ Dra / γ Draconis) is a star in the constellation Draco. ... In astronomy, an asterism is a recognized pattern of stars seen in Earths sky which is neither an official constellation nor a true star cluster. ...

Coordinates (equinox 2000)

• Right Ascension 17h30m26s
• Declination +52°18'5"

Right ascension (RA; symbol α: Greek letter alpha) is the astronomical term for one of the two coordinates of a point on the celestial sphere when using the equatorial coordinate system. ... In astronomy declination (dec) is one of the two coordinates of the equatorial coordinate system, the other being either right ascension or hour angle. ...

References

• Dibon-Smith, Richard (1992). StarList 2000: A Quick Reference Star Catalog for Astronomers. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-55895-8
• Kaler, Jim (2004). "STARS: Rastaban". Retrieved July 11, 2005.
• Wright, Anne (2003). "The Fixed Stars: Alwaid". Retrieved July 11, 2005.